The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign released a video interview with Bob Greenstein, nationally recognized federal budget expert and president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Mr. Greenstein explains the affordable housing crisis, why it requires a multi-sector response, why it demands robust federal action, and how to build the political will to implement solutions. Under Mr. Greenstein’s leadership, CBPP joined the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign as a founding partner.
Mr. Greenstein remarks that CBPP has worked on affordable housing policy for more than 20 years because it is “simply fundamental to the well-being of low income families.” As the housing affordability crisis continues to worsen, “the federal government has to play an absolutely central role,” said Mr. Greenstein. “It plays a role today, but that role isn’t robust enough to address the problem.”
Building the political will to implement stronger federal solutions is a major challenge, he acknowledges, and it is going to require a fundamentally new approach to housing advocacy. “We need something beyond what’s been done in the past,” he explains. “We need a broader-based campaign (like Opportunity Starts at Home).”
The full interview is available at: https://bit.ly/2NgXZN8